In fact, Cher had problems with her son being gay at first. According to Chaz, she went \u201cballistic\u201d when she found out.<\/p>\n
Most people probably know Cher. When I think of her, I can\u2019t help but think on her amazing career. When she started out, she did so alongside Sonny Bono, a person with whom she had both a wonderful and stormy relationship.
\nThe couple met for the first time in Los Angeles, when Cher had dropped out of high school at 16 and moved LA. She took acting classes and worked to support herself. Boy, was she a terrific singer.<\/p>\n
Chaz Bono \u2013 the son of Cher
\nSonny, who was 11 years older, worked as an assistant to legendary record producer Phil Spector. Before long, the couple started to hit it off.<\/p>\n
Bono found work for Cher as a backup session singer, where she performed on many of Specter\u2019s recordings. The Ronettes\u2019 super-hit Be My Baby and The Righteous Brothers\u2019 You\u2019ve Lost That Loving Feeling were just two of many songs Cheer worked on.
\nSonny and Cher first collaborated on their own records in 1964. However, their first singles weren\u2019t really what the audience wanted. This all changed in September 1964, when they released Baby Don\u2019t Go.<\/p>\n
Cher\u2019s mother Georgia Holt had her brother Mickey hire the duo to open for the Righteous Brothers, and it was the start of a long and successful career which would culminate with Cher being labeled \u201cThe Goddess of Pop.<\/p>\n
Cher and her family
\nBaby Don\u2019t Go became the duo\u2019s first hit, and proved the beginning of a highly successful pairing that lasted until the mid-1970s.<\/p>\n
And on a personal level, the love between Cher and Sonny grew.<\/p>\n
Though Cher was immediately interested in Bono, he was actually said to be more interested in one of her friends.<\/p>\n
Cher\u2019s mother Georgia Holt had her brother Mickey hire the duo to open for the Righteous Brothers, and it was the start of a long and successful career which would culminate with Cher being labeled \u201cThe Goddess of Pop.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was with my girlfriend, who was really beautiful,\u201d Cher recalled. \u201cHe liked her, so he didn\u2019t really say anything to me. He was like, \u2018Oh yeah, kid.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
She added that \u201ceveryone just disappeared\u201d when she first saw him, recalling that \u201che was the most unusual person I\u2019d ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Soon, Cher and Bono were living together. They began a romantic relationship, though this took a while to blossom. According to Cher, Bono simply wasn\u2019t physically attracted to her at first. That soon changed, and the couple began dating for real.<\/p>\n
In 1965, the two got married \u2013 and at the same time, started to work on their professional music careers.<\/p>\n
Most importantly, the couple had a child, Chaz Bono, together. He was originally born Chastity Bono on March 4, 1969. However, because he was a celebrity child, he became famous immediately and it wasn\u2019t long before TV audiences got to see him.<\/p>\n
Chaz Bono \u2013 early life
\nBono was named after the movie Chasity, a movie produced by Sonny. Cher played the lead role, portraying a young, bisexual hippie runaway.<\/p>\n
Apparently, Chastity was conceived during the making of the film.<\/p>\n
As a child, Chaz appeared numerous times in The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. He usually came on at the end of each episode, when Sonny and Cher sang \u201cI Got You Babe\u201c.<\/p>\n
In this way, Chaz became a familiar face to the American audience.<\/p>\n
But few knew what he was going through at home and at school. Early in his life, Chaz couldn\u2019t relate to other girls and their interests.<\/p>\n
\u201dI\u2019d look at other girls my age and feel perplexed by their interest in fashion or which boy was the cutest,\u201d Chaz told Daily Mail in 2011.<\/p>\n
Came out as a lesbian
\nAt age 18, Chaz came out to both parents as a lesbian.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a child, I always felt there was something different about me. I\u2019d look at other girls my age and feel perplexed by their obvious interest in the latest fashion, which boy in class was the cutest, and who looked the most like cover girl Christie Brinkley,\u201d Chaz wrote in his book Family Outing: A Guide to the Coming Out Process for Gays, Lesbians, and Their Families.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was 13, I finally found a name for exactly how I was different. I realized I was gay.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Cher, who would later become an icon among the LGBTQ community, it wasn\u2019t \u201ceasy\u201d for her to deal with her daughter coming out as a lesbian.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I found out Chaz was gay, I didn\u2019t go through it that easily,\u201d Cher said in an interview with PrideSource.<\/p>\n
But according to Chaz himself, his mom actually \u201cwent ballistic\u201d when he originally came out to her.<\/p>\n
Then, at the age of 39, Chaz began his transition to the male gender.<\/p>\n
Transition into a man
\nIt wasn\u2019t until 2010 that Chaz officially became a man, when a California court granted his request for a gender and name change.<\/p>\n
In the documentary Becoming Chaz, which was shown at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and aired on Oprah Winfrey Network, viewers got the chance to follow Chaz\u2019s transition into a man.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother went through a kind of mourning period. It was difficult for her, and we didn\u2019t see each other for about the first year of my transition,\u201d Chaz told SBS Australia.<\/p>\n
Just as Chaz said himself, his mother Cher had a tough time in the beginning.<\/p>\n
The Oscar-winning actress and singer has always been a great supporter of the LGBTQ community, but in the beginning, it sure wasn\u2019t easy, as she recalls it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was very unlike me to, in the beginning, have a problem with Chaz being gay, and it disappeared like that,\u201d Cher told CNN in 2020, as she recalls her initial reaction.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we talked about [whether Bono was] transgender for many years. And he would say, \u2018No, I don\u2019t want to [transition]. And then he went and said, \u2018OK, I want to do this.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Hard time listening to voice message
\nCher recalled calling Chaz and his old voicemail message was still on the phone. For her, it was difficult, but as hours and days went by, she slowly started to remember that nothing will change Bono essentially.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t really lose them. They just are in a different shape,\u201d she said.
\nAs early as 9-years of age, Cher had her first encounter with the gay community.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne day I came home and there were these two men in my living room with my mom and my aunt,\u201d she recalled<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were doing their hair and talking, and I was thinking, \u2018Why haven\u2019t we ever had these kind of guys around? Because these guys are the coolest. That was my [introduction to] the gay world,\u201d Cher said, adding that \u201cgay people don\u2019t feel like they fit in, and I never felt like I fit in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since the aforesaid documentary aired in 2011, Chaz has appeared several times in Hollywood. The same year as the documentary was released, he actually became the first transgender man to participate in Dancing with the Stars.<\/p>\n
Chaz Bono today
\nIt marked the first time a transgender man had starred on a major network television show for something unrelated to being transgender, according to Advocate.com.<\/p>\n
Five years later, Chaz starred in five episodes of American Horror Story: Roanoke, and play Reverend Rydale on The Bold and the Beautiful.<\/p>\n
At the same time that Chaz has been building his acting career, he\u2019s also gone through quite a weight struggle.<\/p>\n
For many years, Chaz suffered from obesity, and simply couldn\u2019t thrive in his body. The turning point towards a healthier lifestyle came when he began his gender transition.<\/p>\n
\u201dI would have never been able to do it before,\u201d he told Oprah.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was too disconnected from my body, and to, you know \u2013 the dysphoria around, that I had with my body was too much to be able to have cared enough about to do anything like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inspirational weight loss
\nWhen Chaz first appeared Dancing With The Stars, he weighed 250lb \u2013 but the competition and all the ensuing practice made him lose weight, rapidly. That\u2019s perhaps not so strange considering how much training and movement is required to succeed on the dance floor.<\/p>\n
But it seems that Chaz continued with his new, healthier lifestyle even after the TV show. He has continued to lose weight, and new pictures of him show that he is far from the unhealthy weight he was at 10 years ago.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, however, the weight loss journey has not been entirely painless for Chaz. When you lose a lot of pounds, it\u2019s not always easy for the body to keep up. As a result, Chaz has a lot of sagging excess skin.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not fun, but it was worth it, because I look better now. I\u2019ve cut out, you know, 99 percent of grains from my diet, \u2018he revealed. \u2018I pretty much eat vegetables, meat, fruit, nuts \u2026 My birthday is the one day of the year I\u2019ll do cake,\u201d Chaz told Extra TV.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did it all by himself\u201d
\nHis mother, Cher, has repeatedly praised her son\u2019s courage and journey towards a healthier lifestyle.<\/p>\n
\u201dHe did it all by himself. He made up his own mind and he did it. And it was like what \u2014 85, 90 pounds. Wow! \u2026 I do not know if I\u2019d have that courage.\u201d Cher said in 2013.
\nChaz has grown up in the spotlight, and his dating history has often captured media attention. Many year ago, Chaz was linked to Jennifer Elia. The couple had been dating since 1999, and Chaz even proposed to Elia atop Seattle\u2019s space needle.<\/p>\n
However, their relationship was occasionally quite tumultuous. The couple went through a lot together; Jennifer Elia supported Chaz throughout his gender reassignment process and later expressed that she found her partner \u201cmore attractive\u201d as a man.<\/p>\n
Chaz Bono and Jennifer Elia arrive at the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards held at Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel on April 17, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Caulfield\/WireImage)
\nBut, it wasn\u2019t all smooth sailing. Elia disclosed that coping with Chaz\u2019s transition was challenging at times. She admitted to turning to alcohol again when he informed her of his final decision to undergo gender reassignment.<\/p>\n
They couple separated in 2011.<\/p>\n
\u201dChaz Bono and his fianc\u00e9e, Jennifer Elia, have jointly announced that they have called off their engagement and are no longer a couple,\u201d a rep said at the time and added: \u201dThey leave this relationship with great love, respect and affection towards one another.\u201d<\/p>\n
After a few years, Chaz found love again. He entered into a relationship with his partner, Shara Mathes, starting in 2017. Sarah Mathes is a former child artist and social worker known for her roles in Hollywood. She became famous after appearing alongside Jason Bateman in the 1984 comedy series, It\u2019s Your Move.<\/p>\n
The show ended in 1985 and Shara has now left the entertainment industry. According to Daily Mail, she now works for homeless charity Housing Works in Los Angeles, California.<\/p>\n
Chaz and Shara is believed to have met through mutual friends, and they sure have many things in common. However, details about the couple have been sparse, and both Chaz and Shara seem keen on keeping their relationship as private as possible. Nevertheless, some details have surfaced in the tabloids. A source close to Chaz and Shara revealed, \u201cShara was newly single when she first met Chaz, and she wasn\u2019t looking for love.\u201d<\/p>\n
Judging by the photos shared on social media, it appears that Chaz\u2019s family has warmly embraced Shara.<\/p>\n
Cher\u2019s mother, Georgia Holt, expressed her approval of Mathes by inviting her to join the family for her 91st birthday celebrations in June 2017.<\/p>\n
Today is #transvisibilityday and we celebrate Cher\u2019s amazing son Chaz Bono\u00a0![\"\u2764\ufe0f\"](\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/16.0.1\/svg\/2764.svg\")
?\ufe0f\u200d![\"\u26a7\ufe0f\"](\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/16.0.1\/svg\/26a7.svg\")
<\/p>\n
Lately, both Chaz and Shara have maintained a relatively low profile about their relationship on social media in 2023. Chaz\u2019s last post featuring them together dates back to January when the couple celebrated their 6th anniversary on January 20th. In his post, he expressed gratitude, stating, \u201dShara and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary together today. I\u2019m so grateful to share my life with this amazing woman.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chaz Bono is such an inspiration for us all. His courage and bravery in transitioning are amazing. Most importantly, however, he followed his heart and didn\u2019t care what other people thought.<\/p>\n
Please, share this story to honor Chaz Bono. Hopefully, this can encourage others in the same situation to do the same.<\/p>\n
Cher finally breaks silence on son abduction rumors \u2013 and it\u2019s as we all suspected<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"